Best Speaker cables on the cheap?


Aloha everyone, I am going to be upgrading my speaker cables from 12 gauge monster to something better. I dont have very much money to spend, maybe 50-75 dollars and i need at least a 10' pair. So far i think Kimber Kable 4PR seems to be my best buy, although Audioquest type 4 also was well rated, a friend of mine had them and for him they lacked bass, which i dont want. And i would like something terminated with all bannanas or half spades,half bannanas. But i can terminate them myself to save a buck. No, i dont really want to buy used either. Thank you.

Heres my system.

NAD C-370 amp
JBL ND310 speakers
Cambridge Audio D300 cdp
Clarity Wires "foxfire" Silver IC's
Clarity Wires "emberglow" Jumpers
haoleb
If your buddy thought that the AQ's lacked bass, DON'T buy the 4PR's. They will definitely come across as lean with a "zingy" top end. While this adds a certain amount of "clarity" and "attack" to music, it becomes fatiguing after a while.

You might try some Axon 8. This is similar to some of the older AQ cables in design but slightly different. It can be purchased from Zalytron for about $2 per foot ( if i remember correctly ). It is equivalent to about 13 or 14 gauge when all is said and done.

If you do decide to go with this cable, do not wire it up as they show you on the diagram. There is a way to do this that extends the bandwidth and produces a much more detailed presentation. Drop me an email if you want to know the details on how to do this. Sean
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Audioquest type 4 is very decent in that price range. I feel better than the Kimber.
AudioQuest Type 6 is superior to Type 4. It is one of the best cheap cables out there. And, one you should investigate. More powerful, full sound.

Kimber 4TC is right up there with the AQ cable, but more forward. Great for tubes and/or soft dome tweeters.

AudioAdvisor has had some KILLER deals, please check them out. I saw one of the new AQ cables, which retailed for $300 or $400 two months ago on clearance for $79!!!

I would also back up Sean as far as the AXON 8 goes. I am a big fan of this cable. Elliot at Zalytron does, in fact, sell it for $2/ft(as do all the other retailers). It is made by OrcaDesign, the US parts arm of JMlabs. Kimon Bellas heads up the operations, and is a SUPER guy. I do have to say that the sound is VERY much like AQ, as it was meant to be a copy of Midnight(9 awg)/Indigo(13 awg). However, it is 12 gauge in cross section. Difference in sound is attributable to the copper.

While I am at it, please check out used Indigo or Midnight. Wonderful cables at prices that are absolute steals.

And, if you can swing $200, look at Coincident CST 0.5. This is THE best deal in speaker cable today.
IXOS 6003 at $1.55 per foot unterminated with free shipping at www.AC4L.com

HiFiChoice Best Buy (see review)

speaker cable is a lot of hooey.......

Your system, and in fact the majority of systems in the world cannot resolve the miniscule differences in speaker cables that exist, if they exist at all......what everyone thinks they hear in speaker cables is either created through design manipulation of cables, creating false EQ networks, or is a psychoacoustic reaction to "changing" something in a system.

That said, Sean's suggestion is a good one....either AXON 4 or AXON 8 from Zalytron... $1/ft. or $2/ft. respectively.

Not trying to diss wire, but after you've built this stuff from scratch for a number of years, you will get to understand what really happens to electrical signals and why........concentrate on the circuits, forget about the wire. See Bruce Rozenblit's website and books.

www.transcendentsound.com

Lotsa Luck